The Timely Transition Game

Name of Intervention: The Timely Transition Game: Reducing Room-to-Room Transition Time

Purpose: To facilitate rapid, disruption-free room-to-room transitions by means of a transition game combining explicit timing, public posting, and a group contingency with randomized elements.

Materials: -Stopwatch or watch with second hand

            -Two plastic containers

-       One labeled “Transitions”.  Place in the container six slips of paper with one of the following phrases written on each slip:

·      Going to Recess

·      Returning from Recess

·      Going to lunch

·      Returning from lunch

·      Going to Specials

·      Returning from Specials

-       Label the second container “What It Takes to Win”.  Place in the container 13 slips of paper with a range of acceptable transition times, using data obtained during the observation period to help select the time criteria.

-       “Timely Transitions Feedback Chart” consisting of a poster with nine columns

·      First column says “Date”

·      The next six columns for each of the targeted transitions

·      The eight column “Randomly Selected Time”

·      The ninth column “P-A-R-T-Y”

-       Brightly colored construction paper letters

-       Materials for a class party

Steps: Introduction/Training: Explain to students that they will be learning a game that will help them get to recess, lunch and specials fasters and they will get the chance to earn a class party.  Then guide them through the following steps:

Step 1: Review Appropriate Transition Behavior

o   Review ready to line up behaviors

-  Clear your desk

-  Sit in your seat quietly

- Wait for your row or table to be called

o   Review appropriate in-line behavior

-  Get in line promptly when your row or table is called

-  Stand quietly, facing forward

-  Keep your hands and feet to yourself

-  Wait for directions

Step 2: Demonstrate the timing procedures and conduct a practice transition

o   Tell students that they will have a chance to practice making effective transitions

o   Display the stopwatch and tell students that you will start it when the transition begins and let it run until they are ready to leave the classroom.

o   Say “It is time to line up now to go to _______” and start the stopwatch.  When all the students are displaying ready to line up behavior class them by tables or rows to line when.  When all students are displaying in-line behavior stop the stopwatch and direct them to leave the classroom.

o   If students misbehave in the hallway stop the class and start the stopwatch again.  When students start displaying appropriate in-line behavior, stop the stopwatch and continue the transition.  The transition ends when the last student is through the door

o   Allow for another practice transition

o   When students are returning to the classroom stop the stopwatch after every student is in their seat and quiet for 5 seconds.

o   Tell students what their transitions times were and record the times on the chart.

Step 3: Explain the group reward

o   Display the “Transitions” and “What It Takes To Win” containers.  Explain that you will write the date and each targeted transition time on the Timely Transition Feedback Chart each day.  At the end of the day you will draw a transition from the “Transitions” container to select the transition time that will be used to determine whether the class meets the criteria for earning the reward

o   Show the students the slips of paper with the criterion times and the list of the times on the poster.  To ensure that students understand the times, write times over 1 minute in minutes and seconds.

o   Explain that you will select a criterion time from the “What It Takes To Win” container and compire it with the students’ actual time for the transition you have drawn.  The class will earn a letter in the work P-A-R-T-Y if their time is less than the criterion time drawn from the container.  If the actual time is greater than the criterion, you will put a dash on the chart to indicate that no letter was earned.  After the class has spelt the word party, they will receive some type of celebration.

Implementation: Remind students about the game at the start of each school day.  Record transition times.  When students return from destination announce the number of seconds required to go to and return from the destination and record the two transition times on the Timely Transition Feedback Chart.  Repeat throughout the school day.  At the end of the day draw a slip from the Transitions container and put a star next to the times on the chart.  Then draw a slip from the What It Takes to Win container if the actual time is less than the criterion, record a letter in the last column and praise the class.  If the actual time is greater than the criterion then put a dash in the last column and encourage students to do better.  Deliver the group reward when the word part is spelt out.

Evaluation: Compare the number of seconds required for students to complete one or more transitions before and after implementation.

Helpful Resources:

Rathvon, N. (2008). Effective school interventions: Evidence-based strategies for improving student outcomes. The Guilford Press: New York.